Our skin is the first image each of us offers to those who behold us. From time immemorial, the appearance of the skin has been a subject of preoccupation.
Our current knowledge of the physiology of the skin now enables us to propose cosmetic solutions to the various dysfunctions induced by external aggression and aging. However, many things remain poorly elucidated, poorly understood and poorly controlled.
This is true, for instance, in the case of the general symptoms of cutaneous aging, which give rise to wrinkles and flaccid and thin skin. The treatment of those symptoms is an important subject of research for the cosmetic market.
External or internal factors can both lead to the emergence of symptoms of aging. Moreover, as skin ages, the synthesis of collagen or other macromolecules in connective tissue is slowed; proteolysis, induced by solar radiation, is accelerated and the skin grows thinner and loses elasticity.
Numerous cosmetic compositions intended to improve the appearance of facial skin have been proposed to date. These include moisturizing products, anti-wrinkle creams and smoothing and soothing lotions. Frequently, however, those products have side effects, are associated with stability problems and/or do not make good their promise over time. This is, in particular, the case for formulae containing vitamins and plant extracts.
The present invention is designed to assist in resolving the aesthetic problems posed by those aging symptoms and, preferably, to address the underlying problems.
Katayama et al. (The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 268, No. 14, pages 9941-9944, 1993) found that the minimal subfragment sequence for stimulating collagen and fibronectin is represented by the pentapeptide Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Ser (SEQ ID NO: 1). Sequences with four amino acids or less have a slighter or no stimulating effect. U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,419 discloses the effect of the palmitoylated pentapeptide Pal-Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Ser (SEQ ID NO: 2) as a component for treating skin aging, accelerating wound healing and improving skin moisturizing.
SEDERMA sells a product under the trade name BIOPEPTIDE EL™, which includes Palmitoyl-Val-Gly-Val-Ala-Pro-Gly (SEQ ID NO: 3), which is used for helping restore the suppleness and firmness of skin, but not for treating wrinkles and N-Palmitoyl-Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Ser (SEQ ID NO: 2) under the trade name MATRIXYL.